Welcome Guest Heidi Chiavaroli

 

I have loved split-time stories since before they were known by that name. The first I recall reading were written by Barbara Michaels (Patriot's Dream) and Barbara Erskine (Lady of Hay) and both had a hint of the supernatural. So naturally I'm thrilled to welcome Heidi here today to discuss writing in that genre.

Heidi's publisher is generously giving away one print copy (U.S.residents only) of The Orchard House, so please let us know in the comments if you are interested.

Welcome, Heidi.

                            My Journey to the Split-Time Genre

Heidi Chiavaroli

When I began writing, I had only one kind of story in my heart: historical. Quite simply, I loved history. Couldn’t get enough of it. I loved the research. I loved visiting historical places, imagining the real people who lived hundreds of years earlier.

So, despite the rejections that flowed in, I wrote in this genre for eight years. But even after I improved my craft and started winning contests, I couldn’t clinch that elusive contract. One agent told me that while my writing was “quite good,” historicals were tanking.

About that time, Susan Meissner’s The Shape of Mercy fell into my hands. I gobbled it up, quickly followed by A Sound Among the Trees, Lady in Waiting, and A Fall of Marigolds. It was like a whole new world had opened up to me. Not only was Susan’s writing pure gorgeousness, but she did something incredibly unique to me: she created two story worlds—two timelines—in one story, bringing them together in perfect harmony by the end.

I couldn’t get enough and searched out more authors and more books as well as dipping my toe into the world of time-slip fiction. I also shifted from writing third-person to first-person POV.

As soon as I completed my first dual timeline novel, The Edge of Mercy, I started getting interest from agents and editors. I seemed to have found my niche, along with my voice. My second split-time novel, Freedom’s Ring, earned me my first publishing contract. And now, four books later, I still can’t get enough of this type of story.

A split-time book shows how characters and their legacies outlast them. And while we may have come much farther in technological advancements in the last couple hundred years, we share the same heart struggles as those who’ve come before us. Pain, fear, love, grief, joy—these are all as timeless as humanity. And we can learn from the journey of those who’ve come before us.

Another fun aspect is exploring real historical people. In my latest novel, The Orchard House, I dug up all I could on Louisa May Alcott. Not only was it super fun to visit Concord, Massachusetts, for research, but creating characters in the present day who would be directly impacted by Louisa and her books gave fresh meaning to this beloved woman’s legacy.

Sage advice dictates writers who have already established themselves not stray too far from their genre, but time-slip encapsulates both the contemporary and the historical, making it a sometimes-easier go-to transition than other genres.

If you’re trying to break into the industry and having little success, consider trying something new. Change what point of view you’re writing in. Try to write in the shoes of a character you wouldn’t normally gravitate to. Maybe change genres.

You never know what might be around the next corner (or time frame!).

Have you ever tried to write something completely different? How did this work out for you? Did you find it freeing or frightening?

About the Author

Heidi Chiavaroli writes women’s fiction, combining her love of history and literature to write split-time stories. Her latest book, The Orchard House (February 2021), follows the lives of two estranged sisters who find forgiveness and reconciliation through the little-known story of author Louisa May Alcott’s time as a Civil War nurse. Visit Heidi online at heidichiavaroli.com.